Numerous states use mandatory ultrasound laws in an effort to restrict access to abortion, hoping that the additional time required to schedule or the picture on the screen or in a woman’s hand might sway her from her choice to terminate her pregnancy.

The Michigan Senate, however, is going a step further, by mandating the type of machine that must be used to perform the ultrasound.

A proposed state law would require doctors to use the most advanced ultrasound equipment available at their office to a woman considering an abortion with images of her fetus. Doctors in Michigan are already required to do an ultrasound of a fetus before a woman can get an abortion. Supporters of a bill passed in the Senate Wednesday say women should get the most distinct fetal image possible.

“When lawmakers gave a mother the opportunity to see real-time ultrasound images of her unborn child before aborting her pregnancy in 2006, we never thought doctors would trample on that right by producing poor-quality pictures,” said [Republican Sen. Wayne] Kuipers. “My bill will restore our original legislative intent — to ensure women considering abortion have access to as much information as possible before making this life and death decision.”

Should the new restriction be passed, it is unclear how it would be enforced, as there is no real way to monitor if the providers are using the “most advanced ultrasound equipment available at their office” without non-stop surveillance or monitoring.

“When lawmakers gave a mother the opportunity to see real-time ultrasound images of her unborn child before aborting her pregnancy in 2006, we never thought doctors would trample on that right by producing poor-quality pictures,” said [Republican Sen. Wayne] Kuipers.

Women are not children. We know how to direct our own reproductive autonomy without the help of a bunch of men who make laws.

crowepps

The premise, of course, being that OF COURSE after seeing an ultrasound of a 9 week embryo a woman will immediately be transformed by a miracle of maternal love and change her mind, and since it’s obvious that they are NOT changing their minds, then somebody must be cheating. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to them that an ultrasound can be viewed as creepy or even reassuring.

I can certainly see why some women would react with, ‘It’s so much smaller and less ‘human’ looking than I thought it would be — it makes me feel a lot better about aborting.’

cycles

I’m curious if the “most advanced ultrasound equipment available at their office” has a higher cost fore the patient than the regular equipment.

Or if mandating its use would harm other patients, such as necessitating a waiting list for people who actually have a medical requirement for the advanced images to detect or diagnose disorders.

dadumdumdada

Another embarassing moment for a Michigander. The whole purpose of this bill, as I see it, is to try and punish women for being sexually active. Another needless and useless hurdle of “shame.” It’s all about the “rights” of the people who believe themselves to be morally superior, inflicting their values on those less-fortunate then themselves. I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus would be as vindictive as these people are. I think their actions betray them as motivated by pure evil.